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Side by side

John Frieda Kickstarter Thickening Mousse vs TRESemme Total Volume Plumping Mousse

93% function match · 11 of the 13 functions we compared match Formula overlap 48%. John Frieda Kickstarter Thickening Mousse and TRESemme Total Volume Plumping Mousse share 3 ingredients among each other's most prominent.

Based on your consultation

Which of these fits your hair?

We check your pattern, moisture need, scalp, fragrance tolerance, weight sensitivity and more against each formula — and say which one lines up.

Your profile at a glance

  • Your answers appear here
  • Your answers appear here
  • Your answers appear here
  • Your answers appear here

When each one is the right call

What each formula is built for, from its own ingredient list.

  • Kickstarter Thickening Mousse — maximum slip
  • Total Volume Plumping Mousse — protein-sensitive hair

Side by side

Every trait, aligned

One row per trait, read from each product’s own ingredient list and record. A dash means we have not researched that field for that product — it is not a “no”.

Trait
John Frieda

Kickstarter Thickening Mousse

  • Styler
  • Drugstore
  • Sulfate-free
  • Silicone-free
TRESemme Total Volume Plumping Mousse — brand photograph TRESemme

Total Volume Plumping Mousse

  • Styler
  • Drugstore
  • Sulfate-free
  • Silicone-free
Price, size & price per ounce
$9.99 7.5 oz · $1.33/oz
$8–9 10.5 oz · $0.78/oz
Value / price positioning
Lower cost than most volumizers $$$$$ Drugstore tier · costs less than 97% of the 64 volumizers we’ve priced
Lower cost than most mousses $$$$$ Drugstore tier · costs less than 96% of the 138 mousses we’ve priced
Best for hair types
Straight–Wavy A light volumising formula — the lift it adds matters most on straighter hair. Your hair
All types Nothing in the formula or the claims narrows this to one pattern. Your hair
Moisture level Differs
None found No humectants found — nothing here pulls water into the hair. Your hair
Low Humectants appear, but low enough to be a minor part. Your hair
Hold (as stated)
Strong A strong hold, as stated by the brand. Your hair
Slip / detangling Same
High Conditioning agents sit high in the list — this is a detangling formula. Your hair
High Conditioning agents sit high in the list — this is a detangling formula. Your hair
Weight on hair Same
Light Water-first and light: unlikely to flatten fine hair. Your hair
Light Water-first and light: unlikely to flatten fine hair. Your hair
Fragrance
Present Fragrance is listed; it sits below the working ingredients. Your hair
Present Fragrance is listed; it sits below the working ingredients. Your hair
Protein Differs
Minor Protein appears, low enough to be a supporting ingredient. Your hair
None No protein or amino acids in the list. Your hair
Silicone / wax buildup Same
None Nothing here needs a detergent wash to remove. Your hair
None Nothing here needs a detergent wash to remove. Your hair
Clarifying wash needed
Low Your hair
Low Your hair
Hold system Same
Synthetic polymer Synthetic hold polymers — the firmest of the hold systems. Your hair
High Synthetic hold polymers — the firmest of the hold systems. Your hair
Cast risk Same
Likely Film formers without much softening them — expect a cast to scrunch out. Your hair
Likely Film formers without much softening them — expect a cast to scrunch out. Your hair
Oil absorption Same
None No absorbent powders or starches. Your hair
None No absorbent powders or starches. Your hair
Oils and butters Same
None No oils or butters in the list. Your hair
None No oils or butters in the list. Your hair
Fast-drying alcohol Same
None No fast-drying alcohol in the list. Your hair
None No fast-drying alcohol in the list. Your hair
Formula completeness
out of 10
Complete for its job
out of 10
Complete for its job
Who should choose this
  • Maximum slipfor hair that tangles the moment it is wet
  • Curly-method routinesno sulfates and no water-insoluble silicones
  • Curl definitionfilm formers hold a clump together
  • Fine hairthat flattens under most products
  • Protein-sensitive hairthat stiffens when protein is added
  • Maximum slipfor hair that tangles the moment it is wet
  • Curly-method routinesno sulfates and no water-insoluble silicones
  • Curl definitionfilm formers hold a clump together
Why you might skip it
  • Scents bother youthis product carries a scent
  • Anyone who dislikes a castthe film formers here can set firm
  • Soft, touchable finishesthe brand states a firm hold
  • Scents bother youthis product carries a scent
  • Anyone who dislikes a castthe film formers here can set firm
  • Aerosol avoidancethis is a pressurised can
from the formula stated by the brand reported by reviewers Scale: 1 dot low · 5 dots high, within this product type.
More facts about each one
Type
Styleraerosol
Stylerfoam
Where to buy
Brand website · Drugstore
Grocery / mass
Free of
  • sulfate-free
  • silicone-free
  • curly-method compatible
  • sulfate-free
  • silicone-free
  • protein-free
  • curly-method compatible
Cruelty-free
Cruelty-free · PETA-listed
Cruelty-free · label states
Scent
Scented, not described
Scented, not described
Hold
strongThe current official John Frieda product page for the 200 ml equivalent calls this a strong-hold Level 4 formula.
How often
as needed
as needed

Facts as we recorded them. A dash means we have not researched that field for that product — it is not a "no".

The bottom line

The bottom line depends on your hair

Which of these two suits you is a question about your hair, not about them. The consultation answers it — and tells you what your routine needs around it.

Take the consultation

$49.00 once, for your consultation and hair profile. No subscription, no required purchases.

The detail behind the table

Where the readings above come from: the ingredient lists themselves, each brand’s claims checked against them, what owners report, and cost per ounce in context.

Shared and distinct ingredients

Shared and distinct ingredients

Computed from the ingredient lists as printed. "Shared" means both lists carry it; where it sits on each label is stated, because position is what tells you how much.

What both formulas carry

IngredientKickstarter Thickening MousseTotal Volume Plumping Mousse
Water
Neutral
#1Leading
#1Leading
Isobutane
Neutral
#2Leading
#2Leading
Propane
Neutral
#4Supporting
#5Supporting
PVP
Holds
#6Supporting
#8Supporting
Fragrance
Fragrance
#16Below the 1% line
#11Below the 1% line
Sodium Benzoate
Stabilizes
#15Below the 1% line
#10Below the 1% line

What only one of them carries

Full ingredient list — Kickstarter Thickening Mousse (19)
Full ingredient list — Total Volume Plumping Mousse (26)

Claims check

What each brand says, against what each formula shows

Claims are quoted from each brand. We only mark one supported, partly supported, or conflicting when that product’s ingredient list actually speaks to it.

VerdictsKickstarter Thickening MousseTotal Volume Plumping Mousse
Supported
2
4
Partly supported
0
0
Stated by brand
2
0
Potential conflict
0
0

Kickstarter Thickening Mousse

  • adds volume and ultra-light bodySupportedLeaves room for lift.
  • plumps hair for a fuller lookStated by brandNot something a label can show.
  • strong hold formula (Level 4)SupportedStructure that lasts the day.
  • heat protection up to 420°FStated by brandOnly lab testing can show this.

Total Volume Plumping Mousse

  • 24 hour full-body boost & bounceSupportedLeaves room for lift.
  • Instant body & soft touchable hold without the crunchSupportedLeaves room for lift.
  • Oil-Free, Paraben-FreeSupportedPreserved without parabens.
  • Volumizing formula for all hair typesSupportedLeaves room for lift.

What owners say

What people report

Recurring themes our researchers wrote in their own words from sourced reviews. We do not store or scrape star ratings, and we never balance one product’s themes against another’s by inventing them.

Both praised for volume. John Frieda Kickstarter Thickening Mousse draws complaints about volume.

Kickstarter Thickening Mousse

Another reviewer says it makes their hair look fuller and performs as promised.

volume-seeking user

One repeat user says the mousse gives lift during blow-drying and has not disappointed over years of use.

longtime blow-dry styling user

A recent long-time user with fine hair says the new formula gives noticeably less lift and volume than the version they had used for years.

fine-hair repeat user comparing the new formula

Total Volume Plumping Mousse

Reviewers describe a light, foamy, shaving-cream-like texture with a pleasant scent that gives firm hold without a stiff finish.

a reviewer using it on curly or straight hair

Reviewers with fine or thin hair say a small amount applied to damp roots adds noticeable lift and volume without weighing hair down.

reviewers with fine or thin hair applying to damp roots

A few reviewers say the scent is noticeable right after application but fades quickly, and is lighter than the brand's hairspray.

general reviewers commenting on scent

Multiple reviewers say using more than a small amount leaves hair feeling stiff or crunchy, though the product washes out easily.

general reviewers who applied more than a small amount

Price check

Cost per ounce, in context

Cost per ounce against every product of this type we have priced, each at the size it is most often sold in. Value labels are computed from that percentile and from how many products that do the same job cost less; they are comparisons, not judgements about a brand.

$0.78/oz vs $1.33/oz — John Frieda Kickstarter Thickening Mousse costs about 1.7× more per ounce than TRESemme Total Volume Plumping Mousse.

Kickstarter Thickening Mousse

Against 64 volumizers with a computable unit price.

Total Volume Plumping Mousse

Against 138 mousses with a computable unit price.

Value readKickstarter Thickening MousseTotal Volume Plumping Mousse
Label
Lower cost than most volumizersCosts less per ounce than most volumizers we have researched.
Lower cost than most moussesCosts less per ounce than most mousses we have researched.

Computed from cost per ounce against every product of this type we have priced, and from how many products that do the same job cost less. It is a comparison, not a judgement about the brand.

Compare with something else

Close formulas to each of these, as their own comparison pages.

Kickstarter Thickening Mousse · Total Volume Plumping Mousse · All volumizers in the library

How this page was made

  • This page is assembled from the same researched records the individual product pages render: identity, each ingredient list as printed, each brand's own claims, dated price observations, and review themes written in our researchers' own words. Nothing on it is written per comparison.
  • We do not rank these against each other. Which of them suits you depends on your hair, and that is what the consultation works out.
  • The formula similarity percentage is a stored, precomputed number: position-weighted overlap of the two ingredient lists blended with agreement on the attributes we derive. It measures how alike two formulas are, not how well either works.
  • The value band is a fixed label over two stored numbers: this product’s cost per ounce as a percentile of every product of this type we have priced, each at the size it is most often sold in, and how many products we score as doing the same job cost at least a quarter less per ounce.
  • The "Is this right for you?" panel reads only your own consultation answers, and it applies exactly the filters our recommendation engine applies. It is computed when you load the page and is never stored on it.
  • 5 sources were consulted across the products on this page.
  • Ingredient order tells you relative amount only above roughly 1%. Prices are observations on the dates shown and change without notice. We do not sell these products and take no placement fees.
  • This is cosmetic information, not medical advice, and nothing here diagnoses or treats a health condition.

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